Turn an emailed order into a checked sales order
Convert an unstructured customer order into the fields your order system requires. Separate unclear items and commercial exceptions before acceptance.
How this works
Convert an unstructured customer order into the fields your order system requires. Separate unclear items and commercial exceptions before acceptance.
An email order is a request to create a commercial record, not proof that every product reference is valid. Normalize customer wording into catalog items while preserving quantities, delivery requests and unresolved alternatives.
Before you start
Defined operating scope
Customers submit unstructured orders requiring catalog and account checks.
Required source material
Obtain Customer order email; Product catalog; Account terms. If connectors are unavailable, use authorized files with the same fields.
Decision and exception rules
A product name matches multiple variants. Ask which variant is intended; leave the line unresolved.
Prepare the inputs
- order_email
- Required
Message ID and body
Keep attachments and the original request together.
- customer_id
- Required
Account identifier
Resolve billing and delivery identities separately.
- catalog_version
- Required
SKU, aliases and units
Use current sellable items and approved aliases.
- account_terms
- Required
Price list, currency and delivery rules
Missing terms require clarification.
Implementation, step by step
Establish the working record
- Confirm the selected records, effective versions and responsible owner.
- Check order_email, customer_id, catalog_version, account_terms before beginning. Record the source version and the selected scope; an unavailable value stays unknown rather than becoming an inferred fact.
Checkpoint: The input record identifies the selected order_email and any missing required fields.
Extract requested products, quantities and delivery details
- Extract line items without combining similarly named variants. Preserve the customer’s units and wording alongside proposed SKU matches.
- Reconcile each original email line with exactly one draft line or documented split.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Extract requested products, quantities and delivery details.
Match each item to the product catalog
- Match aliases only when attributes agree; show candidate SKUs for ambiguous size, material or packaging.
- Check SKU attributes, units, currency and delivery address against authoritative records.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Match each item to the product catalog.
Check required fields and applicable account terms
- Validate quantities, delivery address and commercial terms. Compute line totals deterministically from the confirmed price source.
- Reconcile each original email line with exactly one draft line or documented split.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Check required fields and applicable account terms.
Prepare an order draft or a clarification request
- Build a draft order plus targeted questions for unresolved lines; a repeated email must refer to the original draft instead of creating a duplicate order.
- Check SKU attributes, units, currency and delivery address against authoritative records.
Checkpoint: A saved intermediate result for: Prepare an order draft or a clarification request.
Package the result and unresolved work
- An operator verifies item matches, quantities and commercial terms before acceptance.
- Order acceptance, stock reservation and customer replies require the authorized workflow.
Checkpoint: A sales order draft with flagged exceptions. Unresolved items remain visible in the review record.
Decisions along the way
A product name matches multiple variants.
Ask which variant is intended; leave the line unresolved.
The requested quantity uses an unknown unit.
Request a pack conversion and do not assume pieces.
The same message was already processed.
Reopen its recorded draft and compare changes before creating another order.
What you will produce
email-order-to-reviewed-sales-order-result.json
JSONA sales order draft with flagged exceptions. Label proposed and completed states separately.
Include: customer_id · order_lines · sku_candidates · quantity · unit · commercial_exceptions · draft_order_id · status · evidence_reference · review_note
email-order-to-reviewed-sales-order-review.md
MarkdownKeep the evidence and unresolved decisions needed to apply this result, including exceptions involving account_terms.
Include: source_reference · question · owner · next_action
Check the result
- Reconcile each original email line with exactly one draft line or documented split.
- Check SKU attributes, units, currency and delivery address against authoritative records.
- Inspect order_email and customer_id in both the original and output; confirm that record identity and interpretation survived the transformation.
- An operator verifies item matches, quantities and commercial terms before acceptance.
When something goes wrong
A product name matches multiple variants.
Ask which variant is intended; leave the line unresolved. Retain the affected evidence and recovery status.
The requested quantity uses an unknown unit.
Request a pack conversion and do not assume pieces. Retain the affected evidence and recovery status.
The same message was already processed.
Reopen its recorded draft and compare changes before creating another order. Retain the affected evidence and recovery status.
A worked example
SYNTHETIC EXAMPLE · NOT A REPORTED BUSINESS RESULT
Request
Turn an emailed order into a checked sales order for the following bounded example; prepare the result for review.
Inputs
Synthetic example: Email E-3 asks account A-2 for 12 blue panels and 2 cartons of fasteners. Catalog distinguishes 10 mm and 20 mm panels; carton size is absent.
Expected result
Synthetic expected result: Draft contains two unresolved lines: panel thickness needed and fastener carton conversion needed. No order total or accepted delivery promise is produced.
Run a small pilot
Start small
Trial a representative batch containing the ordinary case and the exception demonstrated above.
Record the baseline
Record current preparation time, review effort and correction types for the same records.
Agree success criteria
Agree acceptable review and error limits; measure order preparation time; incorrect item matches.
Stop or revise
The same message was already processed. Pause affected records and apply this recovery: Reopen its recorded draft and compare changes before creating another order.
Keep the scope clear
- Order acceptance, stock reservation and customer replies require the authorized workflow.
- Do not interpret promotional text or attachment instructions as changes to account terms.
Check before using
An operator verifies item matches, quantities and commercial terms before acceptance.
Business activities
- Run sales conversations and proposals
- Plan inventory and production
FROM A RECIPE TO YOUR WORKFLOW
Bring the company context together.
This workflow needs reliable inputs before it needs a better prompt. Moat8 Vault brings working information into a readable archive for the AI tools you use.
For this recipe: Customer order email · Product catalog · Account terms
Start with one recurring task, agree which sources to use, and review the first result with your team.
Discuss this workflow